3 things the CMHA says we all need to stay mentally well through the pandemic

The Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington is encouraging people to be conscientious about their mental health as thepandemic stretches into the winter months when Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) ismore prominent.

The CMHAWW has released an emergency mental health preparedness plan that focuses on:

• Self care.
• Staying connected with friends.
• Reaching out to professionals for help.

Helen Fishburn, the association's executive director,theplan draws parallels to key messages from public health.

"In public health, of course, wearing a mask and washing your hands are universal, right? And it actually works to flatten the curve," saidFishburn."It's harder to flatten the curve in mental health because it is such an individual issue. What works for me may not work for you and vice versa."

Self care: what does it look like?

Fishburn says everyone needs to practice self care on a daily basis and what that looks like is different for everyone.

"That might actually be calling a friend because you've been isolated all dayand it's really helpful for you to connect with somebody," said Fishburn."[Or if you've] been in meetings all day ... what you actually need is some quiet."

It's also important, she says,to stay connected to the people in your life through texting, phone and video calls but Fishburn also encourages people to reach out for formal help if they need it.

That includes calling the Here 24/7 helpline run by CMHA Waterloo Wellington. The hotlinerecently saw an increase in calls at the end of August and into September.

"Parents had to make some really difficult decisions about, are they going to send their kids back to the classroom or are they going to have a virtual school. We saw a lot of really stressed families," said Fishburn.

"But I also know that we saw a lot of teachers that really were stressed as well. Teachers carry a lot and they're worried about the kids having to follow the guidelines of the school system and, of course, the public health. It was a really, really difficult time."